Dance Umbrella, London
This may be the most wide-reaching festival in Umbrella’s recent history, with 10 shows across venues in 13 boroughs. There is a focus on outdoor spaces, with Charlotte Spencer’s Walking Stories taking place in a series of London parks (18-31 Oct), and Of Riders And Running Horses, an evening of freestyle dance on a car park roof (NCP Car Park, EC1, Thu to 17 Oct). Elsewhere Claire Cunningham meditates on exclusion and judgment (Lillian Baylis Studio, EC1, Thu to 17 Oct), and there’s new dance from India (Barbican: The Pit, EC2, 21 to 24 Oct).
Various venues, Thu to 31 Oct
The Royal Ballet Double Bill, London
When Wayne McGregor’s Raven Girl premiered two years ago, this experimental narrative ballet divided audiences. Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s graphic novel, its story of a young woman with the soul of a bird was narrated not only through movement, but video projections, lighting and text. For this revival, McGregor plans to revise and edit the work, and the ballet will be complemented by the rejuvenation of another recent piece, Alastair Marriot’s Connectome. which uses music by Arvo Pärt and design by Es Devlin to map one woman’s journey towards fully realising her personal identity.
Royal Opera House, WC2, to 24 Oct
